Guarding Against Child Identity Theft
Keep in mind that even the youngest members of your family require protection against identity theft.
Identity thieves are 51 times more likely to target children because their personal information is used far less than adults’ information. Generally speaking, children are not seeking credit or using their Social Security number to apply for a job or a mortgage, so thieves can use and manipulate a child’s personal information for years before the crime is detected.
Children appear to be easy targets for thieves looking to extract personal information since it’s likely they spend much of their free time online through computers, smartphones, iPods, tablets and gaming devices. While these devices open outlets for social interaction, education and entertainment, it’s important that we protect our children from the dangers that can be associated with online activity.
According to Norton’s Online Family Report:
• 41% of children have had a stranger try to befriend them on a social networking site
• 63% of children have responded to online scams
• 77% of children have downloaded a virus
There are ways to proactively protect your children’s identities.
• Securing all documents that contain your child’s personal information.
• Being informed when an organization or individual requests your child’s SSN.
• Communicating with your children about the risks involved with online activity and sharing personal information.
• Helping children create secure online IDs and passwords, and making certain you have access to all of them.
• Monitoring the privacy and security settings for gaming and social network sites.
• Performing thorough online searches of your child’s name and online IDs, so you have an understanding of their digital footprint.
• Keeping firewall and anti-virus software on your computer and devices active and up to date.
• Checking with the major credit reporting agencies to see if your child has a credit report.
Be aware of the following signs that might indicate your child’s identity has been stolen.
• Getting bills or notices for products or services they didn’t receive.
• IRS notices about your child’s SSN.
• Receiving credit card offers or mail solicitations addressed directly to your child.
Follow these steps if your child happens to fall victim to identity theft.
• Contact one of the major credit reporting agencies to put a fraud alert on your child’s credit report.
• Contact the local police to file a report.
• Contact any credit issuers or collection agencies listed on your child’s credit report to explain that this is a case of child identity theft and that any contract is not binding due to the age of the child at the time the contract was written.
• Ask to have all accounts, application inquiries and collection notices removed immediately from your child’s credit report.
• Request copies of all application and transaction records. (According to federal law, they must make those documents available to the victim or parent when a police report has been submitted with the written request.)
Every day you make an effort to protect your children – but how are you protecting their identity? Taking these steps will not only guard them but will also provide a sense of security for you. If you have questions, feel free to contact us.